MEN'S HOCKEY'S BOBBY BUTLER WINS WALTER BROWN AWARD

Mar 24, 2010

BOSTON – Senior forward Bobby
Butler (Marlboro, Mass.), of the University of New
Hampshire men’s ice hockey team, was named the
58th recipient of the Walter Brown Award, presented
annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New
England. The President of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston,
Steve Grogan, made the announcement Wednesday morning. Read more
about Butler and his accomplishments at ButlerforHobey.com.

Butler, along with sophomore
defenseman Blake Kessel (Verona, Wis), was named
one of 16 semifinalists back in February. After being named a
finalist, the co-captain then beat out the other two finalists
--Sacred Heart's Nick Johnson and Yale's Broc Little – to win
the award. Butler is the seventh Wildcat to earn the award, joining
Bob Miller (1977), Ralph Cox (1979), Ty Conklin (2001), Mike Ayers
(2003), Steve Saviano (2004) and Kevin Regan (2008).

Butler has already taken home his
share of hardware this season. He is currently one of 10 finalists
for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, was selected as Hockey
East’s Player of the Year, named an All-Hockey East First
Team honoree, was Hockey East Player of the Month in November,
Hockey East Scoring Champion and Hockey East Three Stars Award
winner.

Butler is the first forward to
capture the league’s top honor since BC’s Chris
Collins, brother of former Wildcat Greg Collins, did so in the
2005-06 season. Butler is the first Wildcat to earn the Walter
Brown Award since Kevin Regan in 2008 and is the seventh UNH player
to win this award.

Butler is enjoying not only his
best season as a Wildcat, but also arguably the greatest season by
any Wildcat forward in recent history. Butler ranks first in the
nation in goals with 27 and is fifth overall in scoring with 50
points (1.35 ppg). Butler sits third in goals per game at 0.73,
sixth in points (51), ninth in short-handed goals (2) and
18th in game winners (4). The co-captain, as voted by
his teammates, has been even better among Hockey East’s
elite, ranking first overall in goals, third in points, seventh in
power play goals, second in short-handed goals and third in
game-winning tallies. In conference play, Butler finished first in
points (41) and goals (21), and sixth in assists (20). He becomes
the first player in Hockey East to register 20 goals and 20 assists
in league play since 1999 Hobey Baker winner Jason Krog of New
Hampshire. Butler was one of just six male position players
selected to represent the East Squad at the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four
Skills Challenge.

The 12th-ranked UNH men's hockey
team received an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament and
will play sixth-ranked Cornell University on Friday, March 26 at
the Times Union Center (Albany, N.Y.).